Chapter 41
When utilizing our Ultra Space GPS to navigate through the preservation area, we employ the concealing ability of the Ultra Spacesuit to observe forthcoming events. It appears that another version of myself and Hau is currently standing before Ms. Lusamine.
"Mom..." Lillie murmurs, her expression contorted in a frown, still affected by the unpleasant encounter with her before being teleported here into the Ultra Space.
"Ah... You must be Ash and Hau. Welcome to Aether Paradise, the Aether Foundation's private island," Ms. Lusamine addresses the duo. "I am the president of the foundation. But please, just call me Lusamine. I'm delighted that we have this opportunity to meet."
"It's nice to meet you," both Ash and Hau reply. I can sense that my other self is feeling rather uneasy in her presence.
"I'm glad there are people like you, who travel the islands to learn more about Pokémon..." Lusamine begins, her tone earnest. "But there are also those unfortunate people who harm Pokémon for their own selfish reasons or even for profit. And that is why I am here. I will be like a mother to all of those poor Pokémon and shower them with love. Even Pokémon from distant worlds, far from the Alola region, are worthy of my love."
"Wow, Miss Lusamine! I don't know how you do all this! You're, like, not even that much older than us!" Hau exclaims, expressing his admiration and surprise at Lusamine's accomplishments.
Lusamine chuckles warmly and responds, "Oh, you sweet boy! I'm already over 40!" Her laughter carries a hint of amusement at Hau's surprise regarding her age.
My Lillie says, "Yeah, it was really surprising when people ask Mom about her age..."
"You are?" Hau says, but then his face turns into shock, "Wait, WHAT?!"
"Oh, you! The right style does wonders, you know. And, Hau, your style is a bit wanting, hm? I'll have to take you out sometime and help you pick a smashing outfit," Lusamine says with a chuckle, teasing Hau about his reaction while playfully offering fashion advice.
Hau stammers, "L-like what you wear? I don't think anyone else could pull off that kind of look! Except maybe Lillie..."
We start to worry when Hau mentions Lillie in front of Ms. Lusamine. We glance at Lusamine, expecting a reaction, she simply blinks for a moment before remarking, "Oh, don't you worry. You just leave everything up to me. Trust me—children would all be much happier if they'd only listen to the adults around them." Her response carries a hint of assurance and a subtle suggestion of her authority in guiding children.
My Lillie trembles, "That's not what my Mom would say to me at all... This mom from this dimension is creepy..."
The words escape Lillie's lips as she expresses her discomfort, feeling the stark difference between the Lusamine in this dimension and her own mother. Her unease is evident in her trembling voice, signaling her uneasiness and perception of this alternate dimension's Lusamine as unsettling and unlike her own caring mother.
Just as the atmosphere grows tense, the ground begins to tremble, causing the Pokémon around them to stir in panic.
"That tremor... Did something happen on the lower floors?" Wicke inquires, concern evident in her voice.
To our amazement, a wormhole materializes right before us, and a peculiar jellyfish-like Pokémon emerges, flying out of the rift with surprising swiftness. The sudden appearance of the jellyfish Pokémon leaves everyone stunned and curious about its origins.
Captain Phyco says, "Nihilego... what in the world is it doing here?"
"Did you come... from another world?" Lusamine inquires gently, addressing the jellyfish Pokémon.
Hop rushes forward, concern etched on his face, and warns, "Miss Lusamine, stand back! That thing's... not right!"
Disregarding Hop's warning, Lusamine shakes her head, showing empathy towards the mysterious creature. "You poor creature..."
Hau, sensing the urgency, urges my other self, "Ash, can you distract that thing? I've gotta get Miss Lusamine outta here..."
The other me nods, preparing himself for a potential confrontation, but before he can act, Rotom Dex flies toward him, expressing concern, "I've never seen a Pokémon like that! Are we really gonna fight that... that thing?"
As we observed the chaotic scene unfolding, I witnessed an alternate version of myself commanding a Golisopod, prompting it to unleash the powerful Water-type Z move, Hydro Vortex. Nihilego, the jellyfish-like Pokémon, was drawn into the swirling vortex created by the attack.
Unexpectedly, as Nihilego was pulled into the vortex, the wormhole reappeared, almost as if responding to the turmoil. In a sudden turn of events, the jellyfish Pokémon was propelled back into the open wormhole, and just as swiftly as it had appeared, the wormhole sealed shut again, taking the creature with it.
Hau queries, "Did we do it?"
"It disappeared..." Ash murmurs, a tinge of uncertainty in his voice, as he recalls Golisopod back to its Poké Ball.
Lusamine gazes at the sky where the portal once existed, her expression contemplative, and she murmurs, "So, it's true... I still need that Pokémon. I need to get it back."
Perplexed by Lusamine's cryptic statement, the other me and Hau exchange confused glances. Hau speaks up, "What? Miss Lusamine, did you say something?"
Lusamine's sudden sinister smirk startles Ash, evoking a mix of surprise and a hint of unease. However, she swiftly reverts to her usual demeanor and explains, "That creature we just saw was undoubtedly an Ultra Beast... An unknown being from another dimension suddenly appears from the Ultra Wormhole... It looked like it was suffering... Like it pained it to be in this strange place... I can't bear to see that happen! I will save it. And I will love it!"
My other self mutters his discomfort, noting, "I really don't like the expression she is making..."
Expressing gratitude, Lusamine turns to Wicke as they head towards the elevator, saying, "Thank you... both of you... Thank you so much! Wicke, these two are still in the middle of their island challenge, aren't they? Please deliver them to their next island."
"O-oh! At once, ma'am!" Wicke responds promptly.
Lusamine continues, outlining her immediate plans: "I will go to check that none of our poor resident Pokémon came to any harm. And I need to speak with Mr. Faba about exactly what happened downstairs. And of course... I will have to start preparing the foundation for our newest and perhaps greatest duty yet: the protection of the Ultra Beasts!"
Acknowledging her instructions, Wicke turns to my other self and Hau, assuring them, "I'll see the two of you to Ula'ula Island, then."
After bidding farewell to Lusamine, they depart, leaving the Aether Paradise behind. "Hey, Lillie," I address her gently, noticing her shaken state following the intense events. "You've seemed a bit off for a while. Is everything truly okay with you?"
"The way my Mom smirked at the Ultra Beast... it's unsettling," Lillie trembles. "And the way she showed affection to that Nihilego... it's the complete opposite of how my Mom is in my world..."
"Considering your mother's behavior in this world, I have to assume she's been deeply affected by the toxins of Nihilego," Soliera remarks, implying a potential influence of Nihilego's toxins on Lusamine's altered behavior.
"Judging by her behavior, it appears she's been overdosed with it... extracting those toxins from her body will prove to be exceedingly difficult," Captain Phyco remarks, indicating the severity of Lusamine's exposure and the challenges involved in removing the toxins.
I say, "Should we continue? I think the space location should be switched to Ula'ula Island..."
The other three nod as I start to set the next location, and we're now at Route 13. Hau says, "Ash, I heard the news from Sophocles! You helped him out with testing the kine, yeah? That totem-calling machine or whatever? I guess I was test subject number two! But I managed to get through the trial. Maybe even managed to get a bit stronger, eh?"
Gladion arrives, his usual stoic demeanor intact, and quips, "You only have one volume, don't you? Haven't you ever heard the expression that silence is golden?"
"Lillie?!" Gladion's sudden appearance surprises Lillie.
Cutting straight to the point, Gladion addresses Lillie, saying, "Listen, Lillie, Team Skull is looking for Nebby."
"They are? Why?" I inquire.
"Look... Cosmog isn't even a strong Pokémon. But it has the potential to summon Pokémon so terrifyingly strong that you don't even know. If something like that happened, it would be a disaster for Alola..."
"A disaster? Like... a real disaster? Then what're we supposed to do about it?" Hau asks.
"Protect it! I know that Nebby is probably in your bag right now, Lillie... just keep it safe! I know I might be working for Team Skull right now, so you may not trust me or care but... I'm going to tell you this just once. You have to protect Cosmog... no matter what!" Gladion emphasizes, emphasizing the criticality of safeguarding Cosmog from any potential threat.
"You got it, Gladion. We'll ensure that Team Skull won't lay a finger on Nebby," I affirm, promising to safeguard Cosmog from Team Skull's pursuit.
Hau, puzzled by Gladion's cryptic warning, interjects, "What do you mean by 'no matter what'? Are you just going to leave us hanging?"
Gladion attempts to leave, while the alternate version of Lillie suddenly notices Silvally, causing her to tremble and kneel down in distress. Concerned, the other me inquires, "Lillie, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
"T-that Pokémon..." Lillie stammers. Snowy tries to approach her, but she yells, "No, stop!"
Snowy, puzzled by Lillie's reaction, hesitates, and I gasp, "Lillie... are you?"
"I don't know. Does that mean... I can't touch Pokémon again?" Lillie asks fearfully. Overwhelmed by her emotions, she begins to whimper and cries, "I'm so sorry..."
Lillie's sudden aversion to Silvally and her distress at the possibility of being unable to interact with Pokémon evoke a deep sense of remorse and fear within her, causing her to break down emotionally.
As we observe the unfolding events, my Lillie expresses disbelief, saying, "No way... and Gladion didn't even notice..."
Feeling a sense of empathy and concern for the situation, I respond with a frown, remarking, "I guess you couldn't touch Pokémon again... this is awful."
Captain Phyco murmurs, "Hmm... this is interesting... to think that this Silvally would cause all of your progress of touching Pokémon to be reduced to zero."
As we find ourselves at the Aether House in Tapu Village, the alternate Lillie reflects, "At that moment, I remembered something. The image of Silvally lunging towards me and how really, really scared I was. It all came rushing back. How could I forget such an awful thing? An experience like that isn't something you forget, even if you wanted to."
Observing the scene, Rotom Dex interjects, "Reinstallation of a forgotten memory... that's truly fascinating."
As we watch my other self, Hau, and a girl who seems to be the Trial Captain consoling her, a thought crosses my mind, "You know... I wonder if we're acting like Team Rocket... trying to eavesdrop on them and then stealing Pikachu..."
"Why would you need to do that?" Lillie slightly chuckles. "But it feels like instead of suppressing our memories, I think that my memories were stolen instead..."
"Are you sure about that?" Soliera inquires.
"I don't know..." Lillie mutters, expressing uncertainty about the nature of her memories and the possibility of them being taken from her.
I'll end it here right now. The next chapter will be back to Hisui and I hope you like this chapter.
Ash and Alice's Pokemon (Hisui):
Pikachu, Arcanine (Hisuian), Electrode (Hisuian), Typhlosion (Hisuian), Espeon, Torterra, Infernape, Empoleon, Lucario, Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Cresselia, Manaphy, Samurott (Hisuian), Lilligant (Hisuian), Zoroark (Hisuian), Braviary (Hisuian), Tornadus, Thundurus, Landorus, Goodra (Hisuian), Avalugg (Hisuian), Decidueye (Hisuian), Wyrdeer, Kleavor, Ursaluna, Basculegion, Sneasler, Overqwil
Ash and Lillie's Pokemon (Ultra Dimensions):
Charizard, Butterfree x2, Lapras, Meganium, Steelix, Mantine, Sceptile, Gardevoir, Milotic, Absol, Glaceon, Gallade, Samurott, Audino, Zoroark, Hydreigon, Meowstic x2, Aegislash, Hawlucha